Furnace feeding mechanism



March 11 192,4; 1 1,486,311

A; TAYLOR J F URN ACE FEEDING MECHAN I S M Filed Feb. '21, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

Tana s aarh'm. I f

web 11 1924- 1,486,311

I. A. TAYLOR FURNACE FEEDING MECHANISM v Original Fi led Feb, 21, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 iwA-zz m IRVIN' G A. TAYLOR, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SANFORD RILEY STOKER CO. LTD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A (:JORPORATION OF MASSA- cnusms.

summon FEEDING MECHANISM.

Application filed February 21,1919, Serial No. 278,472. Renewed December 8,-1921. Serial No. 520,990.

To all whom it may concern.

Beit known that I, IRVING A. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at WVorcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Furnace Feeding Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to feeding mechanism for a furnace of the underfeed type,

in which a series of parallel retorts are fed by separate plungers or rams which advance the fuel from an overhead supply to the bottom of the retorts and thence to the underside of the fuel bed. These rams are subject to heavy strain and are pref erably operated singly or in small sections,

through. continuously driven worm gear mechanism.

Heretofore, in the usual construction, all

feeding mechanism of the type described has been driven at the same speed and fuel has been fed to each retort at. the same rate throughout the furnace, no provision being made for varying the delivery of fuel at except by set the eifect of unequal draft resistance,

due to unequal depth of fuel in the fuel bed. Preferably also the feeding mecha-' nisms will each have a regular and contin uous motion at each available speed,

In view of these considerations it is one object of my invention to provide a continuously operated feeding mechanism for an underfeed furnace which is adapted to feed fuel to different retort sections under the same continuous fuel bed at rates which may be independently controlled.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a construction in which a continuous driving shaft may be used for a plurality of multi-speecl gear drives in the same or adjacent furnaces, doingaway with the usual separate connections to an underlying counter-shaft.

bearings for the crank shaft 14, and

With these and other objects in View, my invention in its preferred form relates to an underfeed furnace construction comprismg a single furnace fire box and a stoker mechanism therefor having a series of retort sections and a series of coal feeding devices adapted to force fuel into said retorts under a continuous fuel bed, these devices being driven by selectively controlled worm gear mechanisms which permit fuel to be fed at different rates to the .different retort sections. In the specific em- My invention further relates to arrange-- ments and combinations of parts hereinafter described and more .particularly pointed out in the appended, claims.

A preferred form of my invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a partial front elevation of several retorts, in an underfeed furnace;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the twp-speed gear box taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View of the gear box taken along the line H in Fig.3, and

Fig. 5 is a detail front elevation of the controlling lever.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, I have indicated in a general way certain parts of a common form of underfeed furnace, the furnace being built up of a plurality of retorts each rovided with a hopper l0 and with a coal eeding plunger or ram 11 slidable in a cylindrical casing 12, which also supports the hop-per 10.

Each ram 11 is connected b a connecting rod 13 to a crank shaft s otion 14:, the length of the sections of the shaft 14 varying in practice and two or more rams being commonly actuated from a single sec tion. A separate gear box 15 is provided foreach section of the crank shaft 14, the side walls of the gear box supportin tile t e whole mechanism bein protected by a hin ed cover 16. A driving shaft 17 exten s continuously through the entire series of gear boxes 15.

For convenience in assembling, this shaft 17 may be made up in separate parts connected by flexible couplings 18 as shown in Fig. 1, but the shaft is in effect continuous and commonly has a single driving connection to a convenient source of power (not shown).

Thefdriving shaft 17 is provided with bearings 19 and 20 in each gear box 15, these bearings having suitable provision to prevent the escape of oil from the gear box. A worm shaft 21 is rotatable in bearings '22 and 23 in the lower front part of the gear box, said shaft having a worm 24 formed in its middle portion and having ears '25 and 26 keyed to its end portions.

he outer side -of each gear is provided with an enlarged bearing surfacewhich engages the finishedinner surface of one of the side plates of the gear box, and thus acts as a thrust bearing for the wormshaft 21. p x

The gear 25 meshes with a pinion 27 loose on the driving shaft 17, and the gear 26 meshes with a gear 28 also loose'on the shaft 17. As shown in the drawings, the gears 26 and 28 are of substantially equal size, while-the gears 27 and 25 give a speed reduction of approximately two to one. Each of the gears 27 and 28 is provided with a clutch member 30 on its inner face adapted to engage a corresponding member 31 formed on the ends ofa sliding sleeve 32 keyed to the shaft 17, but freely movable axially thereon. The sleeve 32 is grooved to receive arms 33 (Fig. 3) of a yoke 34 mounted on a horizontal rod 35 to the; outer end of which a hand lever 36 is secured. The lever 36 is provided with a segmental slot 37 (Fig. 5) through which extends a latch pin 38- (Fig. 3) pivoted at 39 to the gear box casing. The slot 37 has a notch 40 in its lower surface into which the latch 38 drops when the levcr36 is in neutral position. When the lever is in either its right-hand or left-hand operative position, the latch is at the corresponding end of the slot 37, and the lever is held in position by its own weight.

The worm 24L mesheswith a worm wheel 41 (Fig. 3) keyed to a crossshaft 42 to which is also secured a second worm 43 meshing with a large worm wheel l4; on a section of the crank shaft 14. Suitable provision is made at each end of the shaft 42 so that the thrust of the worm 43 may be taken by casing 15.

With this construction it will be seen that the driving shaft 17 can be continuously rotated and can extend through any desired number of gear boxes 15, each gear box remaining inoperative so long as its clutch sleeve 32 is in neutral position. By swinging the hand lever 36 to the right or left, the driving shaft may be connected to the corresponding section of the crank shaft to rotate the same at either high or low speed.

I have thus provided a simple and economical multi-speed worm gear drive for all of the coal feeding rams of an underfeed furnace, and have also provided for separately controlling the speed and operation of the rams connected to each section of the crank shaft. In this way I can maintain uniform conditions throughout thefurnace, varying the feed in any section which is either ahead or behind the desired average condition of the fuel bed. I

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It will also be'evident that changes and modifications can be made in the construction herein shown by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the claims, and I do not wish to be otherwise limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I do claim is 1. In an underfeed furnace, a plurality of coal feeding rams, crank shaft, sections connected to drive said rams, a change! speed worm gear mechanism for each section through which each section of said crank shaft may be operated at a selected speed, a single driving shaft extendingconand means to selectively connect said driving shaft to any section of said crank shaft through its associated change gear mechanism to drive said shaft section continuously and independently at a selected reduced speed.

2. In an underfeed furnace, a plurality of coal feeding rams, crank shaft sections connected thereto, a continuous driving shaft, and driving connections between said shaft and said sections, said connections each including a worm shaft, a high speed positive drive to said worm shaft, a low speed positive drive to said worm shaft, and a manually controlled clutch mechanism effective to render either drive operative'to actuate said worm shaft continuously at a selected reduced speed.

3. In an underfeed furnace, a plurality of coal feeding rams, crank shaft sections connected thereto, a continuous driving shaft, and driving connections between said shaft and said sections, said connections each including a worm shaft, a casing therefor, a gear fixed at each end of said worm shaft, and gears on said continuous driving shaft meshing therewith, the gears on said worm shaft having side faces en aging the inner surfaces of said casing an forming thrust bearings therewith for said worm shaft.

4. In an underfeed furnace, a coal feeding gravity in either one of 1 nections between said shaft and said ram,

said connections including a clutch, a hand lever controlling said clutch and held by tions, and means to hold said lever and clutch in neutral inoperative position, said means comprising a pivoted latch cooperating with a notched opening in' said lever when the latter is in neutral position.

5. In an underfeed furnace, a coal feeding -ram, a" crankshaft connected to reciprocate said ram, a driving shaft, change speed worm ear mechanism interposed between said driving shaft and said crankshaft, and controlling means by which said mechanism two operative posimay be adjusted to drive said crankshaft continuously at a selected reduced speed.

6. In an underfeed furnace, a coal feeding ram, a crankshaft connected to reciprocate said ram, a driving shaft, a relatively high speed positive continuous drive from said driving shaft to said crankshaft, a relatively low speed positive continuous drive from said driving shaft to said crankshaft, and manually controlled 'devices effective to render either drive operative to rotate saidcrank shaft continuously at av selected reduced speed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto af- 80 fixed myv signature. I

IRVING A. TAYLOR. 

